All posts tagged Elizabeth Banks

Films by first time writer/directors can be exciting because they often are stories filmmakers have been waiting their lives to tell. Sara Colangelo‘s taut tragedy “Little Accidents” seems to fit the mold.

The microbudget indie, which opens this weekend in select theaters and VOD, is about the aftereffects of a deadly coal mine accident on the families in an Appalachian town. The accident’s sole survivor (Boyd Holbrook) is under pressure from competing interests to say the right thing to investigators, either to crucify managers whose policies led to the disaster or help make sure the factory stays open for business. A company manager and his family (Josh Lucas, Elizabeth Banks) are shunned by neighbors. A conflict between kids affected by the aftermath leads to another tragedy.

Colangelo grew up in a small factory town in central Massachusetts. As a NYU film student she made a film set in her hometown, about a factory and a relationship and the lingering effects of a car crash. It also was called “Little Accidents.” It screened at Sundance in 2010 and won awards at other festivals. Read More »

You missed them when they were gone, didn’t you, Internet? Don’t worry, Beca (Anna Kendrick), Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and the rest of the Bellas are back, and this time they’re looking to seize a capella glory on the world stage.

The first “Pitch Perfect,” an old-fashioned battle of the sexes college comedy with a few modern twists, was a 2012 sleeper hit that grew into a cult favorite as much for its musical performances as its characters’ comedic chemistry. The sequel, which is due in May, looks to tap into a lot of the same magic of the first film, only on a much bigger scale. Click through to watch the trailer. Read More »

This week has brought a string of good news for “Pitch Perfect” fans. After Gold Circle and Universal confirmed they were indeed creating a sequel to “Pitch Perfect,” the studios announced on Thursday that actresses Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson will return to their lead roles.

Representatives for actress-producer Elizabeth Banks confirmed that the sequel will be her directorial debut; she may also appear in the movie.

Banks, who turns 40 on Monday, both starred in and co-produced the first film which was released in September of 2012. “Pitch Perfect” didn’t get much praise upon its release, but slowly became a box office hit and grossed $115 million worldwide, leagues above the $17 million it famously cost to make. The sequel will be written by Kay Cannon and is expected to release next year. Read More »

An eclectic crew of folks joined much of the cast of “Catching Fire,” the second of four in the “Hunger Games” features, for a special Imax screening on Wednesday at Lincoln Square. Valentino, Brooke Shields, Andy Cohen, Patricia Clarkson, Olivier Theyskens and Patti Smith were just some of the audience members at the New York premiere.

A party followed at the Top of the Standard where director Francis Lawrence partied with actors Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks and Jena Malone, who celebrated her 29th birthday at midnight. A lot of kids hung around, no doubt past their bedtimes. Read More »

When costume designer Trish Summerville landed on the set of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” she was nervous.

Summerville, director Francis Lawrence, and cinematographer Jo Willems had recently joined the franchise. “We were the newbies. We had a lot of conversations about the heightened look we were going for, a darker palette, a more grown up feeling. Everything needed to be more intense, more on the edge,” Summerville said.

Suzanne Collins‘s “The Hunger Games” trilogy, the basis for the film series, tells the story of a dystopian future in which a corrupt Capitol rules over surrounding districts, and forces them annually to send young people from their regions to participate in a bloody gladiatorial contest. Read More »

BEVERLY HILLS — Jennifer Hudson, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Nicole Kidman and Amy Pascal were honored for their philanthropic efforts at the fifth annual Variety Power of Women luncheon last week in front of a packed house at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Studio executives, Hollywood A-listers and media chairmen were scattered throughout the audience, including Jay Penske, the CEO and Chairman of PMC, (which owns Variety), Michael Lynton, the CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Jessica Alba, who was promoting her 20 month old start-up, the Honest Company. Read More »

Elizabeth Banks has been filing taxes since she was 12 years old. Growing up in Pittsfield, Mass., a small city in the Berkshires, Banks describes herself as a goody two-shoes who was once nominated to be the local harvest queen.

She entered the job market as an errand girl for her local Catholic youth center.

“I ran the after school game room and then on Saturday mornings I ran the front desk where I did memberships,” Banks said. ” We had a basketball league, I handed out coffee to all the parents, I got lunch for the coaches.”

Although this wasn’t a life-changing job for Banks, she said she did learn some important lessons.

“Every job should be about customer service. People who had problems, its just fending off all of that and getting to the root of getting something done,” said Banks. Read More »

A second peek into the highly anticipated film, “The Hunger Games” reveals Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and the first shot of Panem, the capital of the territories. It also highlights Josh Hutcherson as Peeta training for the games, and Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss all dressed up.

“The Hunger Games” is based on the Suzanne Collins dystopian novel of the same name and follows Katniss Everdeen as she enters the fight-to-the-death games. Watch the trailer after the jump. Read More »

It’s easier to look out, not down. Standing on a ledge, the human body is not accustomed to seeing moving objects below, hence vertigo. The actors fought against the bodily reaction while shooting “Man on A Ledge,” which tells the story of a police psychologist (played by Elizabeth Banks) working to talk a man who’s been accused of robbery (played by Sam Worthington) down from a ledge.

Before the cameras even began rolling, Banks would spent time on the ledge or roof of the Roosevelt Hotel, where the film was shot, to acclimate her system. Speakeasy sat down with the actress in Los Angeles.

With an ensemble cast including Ed Harris, Kyra Sedgwick, Edward Burns, Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks, “Man on a Ledge” tells the story of an ex-cop turned wanted fugitive who threatens to jump from a Manhattan ledge. The longer the New York Police Department hostage negotiator (Banks) attempts to talk him inside, the more she realizes he may have an ulterior motive.

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.